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I’m writing in the wake of an exhausting but oh-so-wonderful weekend at the British SCBWI annual conference in Winchester. So much to think about, so many people to thank, so much unpacking to do! But I did want to write down a few highlights right now, while they’re fresh in my mind.
Frank Cottrell Boyce (author of Millions, Framed, and Cosmic) spoke for two sessions, and he made us laugh and made us think in both of them. Here are a couple of the things he said that won my heart:
“Children’s books are about taking something you love and passing it on.”
“If you’re disciplined you’ll get what you planned for… but there is a grace in chaos.”
David McDougall, the Art Director at Walker Books echoed many in saying he was excited about digital possibilities, but he added:
“In a digital age, it is important to make books you want to keep” (He cited the truly astounding A Monster Calls as an example.)
Finally, one of the most amazing speakers at an amazing conference was Candy Gourlay, winner of the European Crystal Kite Award for her debut Tall Story. Candy is a legend within British SCWBI, and her speech is worth reading in full, but here’s a taste of it:
“…I got that this long journey was not just about getting published, it was about LIVING A CREATIVE LIFE and all the striving, the struggling, the honing your craft, the finding the time, the rejections? That was part of the package. I had to stop yearning for the Creative Life because the Creative Life was NOW.”
Alchemy Pie 
I’m so happy you got to be here, being inspired, and inspiring I’m sure! It’s so good to share the creative life with you!
And it’s a treat to share it with you, Jeannine! I do feel lucky that I got to the conference, as it wasn’t looking possible earlier. But much as I enjoyed it, what feeds me most of all is the work itself and everyday conversation and strong writer friendships like ours.
Sounds like a wonderful conference. Glad you could go.
Thanks, Barbara! I felt lucky to be there. Hope your own November is providing lots of writing inspiration!
“If you’re disciplined you’ll get what you planned for… but there is a grace in chaos.”
“I had to stop yearning for the Creative Life because the Creative Life was NOW.”
Ooh, I love these snippets! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful conference experience with us, Amy. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Lovely to see you here, Lorraine. I’m so glad those snippets really spoke to you, too. Sometimes the answer is the journey itself, isn’t it? As you yourself so beautifully note in the posts and poetry you share with us. xo
I’m so glad you got a lot out of it. Sounds great! I’ll have to interrogate you sometime about these conference-type thingies. Sounds like it could be a good idea for me.
I tried to click through to see the rest of Candy Gourlay’s speech, but it went to a dead page.
Happy to be interrogated! But I’ll go on record now as saying that I find conferences quite exhausting, so I don’t sign up for many of them. Still, there’s something quite amazing about immersing myself in book-talk full-time for two whole days. That popping sound you hear in the background would be my synapses firing. 🙂
And sorry for the broken link! A bit of html went berserk, but I think I’ve fixed it now. Just to sure, though, I’ll put the bare-bones link here:
http://www.candygourlay.com/2011/11/great-expectations-with-scbwi-british.html
Ooo, what a great conference! I’m so glad you got to go. I really liked the quote, “If you’re disciplined you’ll get what you planned for… but there is a grace in chaos.” Here’s to glorious chaos. And happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Jeni! And here’s to finding both glory and grace in the chaos of writing!